Rick Coppa began studying the art of massage in college, and has been honing his skills for more than three decades.

Gratitude.

From somewhere beneath the surface of a jumbled heap of nerd hormones, I emerged painfully from puberty into a somewhat serendipitous recognizance that if I wanted to get better at relationships with women, I should start by learning about them and getting good at enjoying the things they like.  Music. Dance. Movement.  Touch.  Connection.  I started studying massage in college, when I discovered the way it elevates the mind and the mood.  Over thirty-five years, I have tried to refine my understanding by exploring as many techniques as I could discover along the way--acupressure, acupuncture, trigger point, Thai, stretching, reiki, myofascial, craniosacral, synovial, periosteal—I will always be studying because the only way to get good at something is to devote time to it.  My mother would tell you (at great length) that even as a child nearly a half century ago, I was driven with energy, always pursuing a goal.  And since the realization of how exquisitely beautiful the sensation of touch can be, one of my goals has been to attain the skills of cultivating physical pleasure, things like aromatherapy and guided relaxation and therapeutic massage.  Why?  Because touch can bring rapture, and rapture begets beauty.  Because it frees the senses and lets the subject receive healing without having to give anything in return.  Because the subject  can, just for a short time, completely let go and focus on what feels good.

Over the years, I have tried to listen, to learn what makes women feel good.  Patience,  massage, courtesy, trustworthiness, attention, appreciation.  All things that, when learned and practiced, benefit the student more than the recipient.  And they make the world a more beautiful place in the process.  Each one is a worthwhile goal in and of itself.  But the one thing that really seems to touch women the most?  Respect.

The first half of my life was about work.  I got responsible, got stable, got comfortable.  I studied and raised kids and took care of business.  I worked harder than anyone else I know, and possibly anyone you know.  I pushed my body and  mind to their limits over and over.  I am grateful at how fortunate I was to be able to achieve my goals so many times.   But my recent traverse of the half century mark has given me a new perspective.  Life used to be about accomplishment.  Achievement.  Preparation.  But as we learn from the First Law, work is not everything.  The Second Law says that life is about the Present, and the greatest present we have been given is Beauty.  The key to living with joy is recognizing the Beauty that surrounds us every day.  It is impossible to be unhappy when you realize what blessings we have been given.  Life is miraculous, and every day is a Present that we get to play with. We can try to get by, or we can try to do Good.  And some of the best moments in life those we realize or rediscover how good it feels to do Good.  To be Good.  Making someone happy creates happiness from nothing.  And what could be more Beautiful than that? 

When I go, I hope my life and my actions might inspire those I leave behind to say, “he always tried to give more than he took.”  What do I enjoy?  Making the universe a tiny bit more happy, one connection at a time.  Helping a woman feel  carefree, timeless, Renewed.  What is my goal?  To celebrate Beauty and hopefully create more of it while I still have the strength in my hands to do so.  Time is no longer on my side, and it takes more and more maintenance to keep the machine churning along, but what I have left is the pursuit of that Beauty, and the irony is that it is always right in front of us, if we choose to see it.  The most enthralling thing I have ever witnessed is a woman experiencing bliss—absolute joy in the moment, unbridled elation.  When a smile comes to her face and her eyes clench moist with emotion  and her lips slowly part and her breath halts in rapture.   Moments of supreme energy.  A new mother laying eyes on her baby for the first time.  The tender passion of a first kiss.  The moment of consummation.  The physical release of built-up stress and emotion.  Being part of the genesis of that kind of Beauty is indescribable.  It is the crescendo of a symphony, sunset on the savannah, the rush of descent down the slopes, sublime and perfect and unique and melodious.  To me, giving Renewal is the pinnacle of satisfaction and fulfillment.  Bringing heaven to someone, or someone to heaven, is an experience like no other.